Slip-slidin’ Away ...
2010 has gotten off to a very cold start. In fact, it has been one of the coldest winters in more than ten years here. For several nights in a row we had temperatures hovering in the teens and while the baboons shivered and the snow monkeys snuggled for warmth, staff worked hard to make sure everyone had plenty of hay and heat for the more sensitive primates. Pipes froze, the ground crackled underfoot, and the small ponds iced over.
Treats (and a little trick)
Relief from the unusually hot and dry summer has arrived. Daytime highs in the low 80s and overnight lows in the upper 50s make it very pleasant. With some good rainfall in October the area has turned lush and we stay busy keeping fence-lines mowed and doing our best to catch up on smaller projects.
New and Familiar Faces
Week after week of triple digit temperatures and less than one quarter of an inch of rain has left the entire area dry and dusty and it’s suddenly easy to visualize how deserts are formed. Fortunately our wells are still operating and the monkeys have become conditioned to the hotter weather and are all but finished with their seasonal molt.
Object of desire
June has been extremely hot with temperatures well above normal and no rain for relief. The grasses have dried and things a look a little barren but that’s to be expected with temperatures in the 100s week after week. Fortunately the mesquite and huisache continue to provide shade and show their hardiness as do the monkeys.
Sun, Rain, Blooms, and Life
In the last post I said we were glad for the warming trend and relief from the cold — OK, enough with the heat, is Fall coming soon? It’s been in the mid to upper 90s for some time and we’re seeing the monkeys locating shade and water earlier in the afternoons. Though it’s hot and will be even hotter as summer arrives, there’s always some fun to be had by “kids” of any age (or species) as the picture shows.
Spring greening
Spring has arrived at the sanctuary and everyone (including humans) is enjoying the warmth and the return of the color green. While the winters here are relatively short, the cold nights can be taxing and we were all ready for the change. The old mesquite trees signal an end to winter when they emerge from dormancy and they are now flush with new growth. Though it remains very dry — only 3/4 inch of rain in over 2 months — everything is greening up nicely as the flora here is very hardy and wonderfully adapted to this environment.
Update on Winnie
Winnie, the recently arrived rhesus macaque retired from research, continues to do well. She has settled into her new life and is certainly enjoying the fresh and varied fruit and vegetables we are providing her. She patiently sits and watches if monkeys in the nearby enclosures are fed before her, taking a keen interest in what is going on, vocalizing as if to tell me that she is still waiting.
Retired from research
Winnie, a 15-year-old rhesus macaque, arrived at the Sanctuary this week. She came to us after having spent many years in a research laboratory. This is probably the first time she has ever been outdoors and experienced fresh air and sunshine.
